Teach Me How To Fly: The story of an archangel
by Narn1
Summary: As always, I SUCK at these. The story is better then I make it sound here, trust me. Anyways....Ciel is an archangel. She's about to go on a jump...yeah. It's better then it sounds here. Please R/R....COMPLETE
1. There's more than dragons in the sky

~*~Author's Note~*~  
  
I just saw "Reign of Fire", and was inspired by the archangels. As the characters on the screen were jumping out of their helicopter, I was already writing this in my head. I came home, and it just poured out. It felt awesome. Enjoy.  
  
The helicopter blades whirred, loud and incessantly above Ciel's head. Gazing almost lazily out the open side of the chopper, a clouded sky of gray came into vies. Ciel turned her gaze to the three other people with her in the helicopter. The wind blowing through the chopper ruffled Ciel's short red hair, obstructing her view somewhat, but she could still make out her companions. Across from her sat Audace, a short, somewhat handsome black guy with close cut black hair. Surprisingly, he had startlingly green eyes that put Ciel's pale blue ones to shame. As well as a strong build, he had an amazing smile. Next to Audace sat Voler, a gangly, almost awkward individual on land. Air was truly where he belonged though-you could feel it just standing next to him. His skin was pale, and his sandy brown hair fit nicely with his honey-colored eyes. Piloting the craft was Trice, a young man with olive skin, and dark hair. His deep brown eyes flickered between the controls of the chopper and a small monitor in the window that pinpointed their location, as well as that of the dragon. Audace pursed his lips, and watched Ciel closely as Voler drummed his fingers impatiently upon the shiny black helmet resting in his lap.  
  
"You alright Ciel?" Asked Trice, his voice wavering with concern. This would be Ciel's first jump as an archangel, while Audace and Voler were on their third. This was Trice's fifth flight with archangels. As well, Ciel was the youngest out of all of them, and the boys had taken to watching out for her, almost like a little sister. They had only been a crew for 24 hours, but they had clicked right away, and got along very well. Ciel looked down at her lightly tanned hands, clutching her helmet to her chest.  
  
"Yeah, I'm alright." She replied, looking up at Trice and smiling slightly. Audace raised his eyebrows, appearing doubtful, while Trice nodded, letting his attention return to the controls. A blip appeared on the monitor, indicating that the dragon was closing in. Ciel sighed quietly, shivering slightly underneath her heavy blue jacket. She wasn't really alright-she was nervous as hell. At the same time, however, adrenaline was coursing through her veins at an alarming rate. She was ready, but she had no idea what would happen once she jumped. Voler glanced around shiftily, anxious to jump, looking at everyone. He smirked slightly as his gaze rested on Ciel.  
  
"You sure you're alright?" He asked, cocking his head in an almost birdlike motion.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ciel asked amusedly.  
  
"Should I start with the obvious?" He retorted, grinning, as Audace shook his head, laughing.  
  
"Head's up team," Trice interupted. "Time to jump." The group nodded simultaneously, looking around at one another.  
  
"Who's gonna be bait?" Asked Audace.  
  
"Gimmie a sec," Trice said. Flipping a switch, he spoke into his mouthpiece. "Control? This is Hummingbird. Who's jumping bait?" A moment of silence passed, broken by Trice, looking over at Ciel. "Ciel, you're up."  
  
"WHAT?" Voler said, almost dropping his helmet. "This is only her first jump! She should jump as gunner! Let me go as bait!"  
  
"Voler! Control says she jumps as bait. We don't argue with control!" Trice said, annoyed.  
  
"She shouldn't, and you know it!" Voler said, equally, if not more so annoyed.  
  
"Easy, Voler." Audace interjected. "If control says it, we can't argue." Voler clenched his jaw, nodding. Ciel gulped, then broke out into a grin, winking at the others.  
  
"I'll be alright out there, guys. Honest." She said, standing up and pulling her helmet on over her head. Audace stood up as well. He walked over to Ciel, and hugged her tightly.  
  
"You be careful out there, Ciel. You CAN beet the 17 seconds, alright? Never forget that."  
  
"I won't" She replied. Voler grinned halfheartedly from his spot, sighed, and spoke.  
  
"Take care out there. See you on the ground girl." Trice looked back at her, and grinned.  
  
"Time to jump, angel." Under her helmet, Ceil grinned at the nickname. The boys had given it to her when they first became a crew, for no real reason. It was conforting though. Ciel nodded, and stepped up to the edge of the door. With one last glance back at her crew, she threw herself out of the chopper, placing herself at the mercy of the dragon, and the sky. 


	2. 17 seconds

~*~Author's Note~*~  
  
Thank you for all your nice reviews.it's nice to see that you care about Ciel and her crew. I was originally planning on making this a one chapter thing, and just leaving it as is. However, demands for another chapter have forced me into this. Just a warning.I'm finding out what happens to Ciel at about the same time you do. Same with Trice, Voler, and Audace. THEY are truly writing the story, not me. My characters have a tendency to do that.:) Again, enjoy.  
  
Ceil's body fell away from the chopper quickly, the wind whipping at her body, pushing her upwards with the currents, but gravity pulling her down. She held her breath for the first moment, as the adrenaline in her system spiked. She couldn't let it get to her-that was the first thing she had learned in basic training. Never, EVER let the rush cloud your head. Stay focused. The adrenaline stayed spiked. Ciel could feel her muscles tightening, and her blood pumping through her body, going faster and faster. Her heart pounded in her chest, seeming to bang against her ribcage in an erratic pattern. Ciel took a few deep breaths as she picked up speed. As a reflex, she began counting. 5. 6.  
  
Ciel kept falling, and the dragon came into actual view. Voler bit his lip as the small dot marked "Ciel" on the monitor began to move quicker, and the spot indicating the dragon picked up speed.  
  
"It's seen her." Audace said quietly. "We'll be jumping soon." Voler nodded, while Trice focused on the controls. His face betrayed no emotion, but a wrinkled brow gave away his concern. Pulling on the controls, the chopped ascended through a fog higher into the gray sky, as the air in the cabin got a little thinner. Putting on all the speed that he could, Trice piloted the helicopter over the dragon. He couldn't see it's color-the fog he'd just risen through blocked his vision. Biting his lip, he turned around, and nodded at Voler and Audace.  
  
"Time to jump guys. Let's do this."  
  
7. 8. Ciel continued to count, hurtling through the sky of limitless gray. She guessed that the dragon had spotted her, so the boys would be about ready to jump. She wondered what color the dragon was.perhaps a majestic red, with gold scales, like the ones she had read about in books as a child. Perhaps an earthy brown, like the pictures she'd seen in training. Ciel snapped back into reality as she heard an earth-shaking roar. She had to focus.daydreaming could get her killed. She tilted her body to slightly to fall a little slower, to tempt the dragon, make it loose it's own focus, and simply see an easy kill. That would make it easier for Voler and Audace to net it. The dragon roared again, a sound that shook Ciel to the bone. She gulped, and her muscles tightened further. 9. 10.  
  
Voler and Audace nodded, getting up, and positioning themselves at the open chopper door. Their hands unconsciously went to their sides, where their netting guns rested. Trice gave them a short, distracted nod, and they both hurled themselves out. They separated quickly, gliding through the air smoothly. Audace seemed to flow through the air, while Voler simply cut it in two. They both reached for the guns at their sides as they came down fast on top of the dragon. It didn't seem to notice them, which meant Ciel was doing her job just fine. They continued to fall, waiting for the right moment to fire the nets. There wasn't anything else they could do.  
  
The guys would be jumping now, Ciel figured. They wold be netting the dragon soon, and this would all be over. She could go home. Her stomach fell at the mention of home. What home? Her city had been destroyed what felt like eons ago. Her family lived in some strange underground commune. They were safe there. This relaxed Ciel somewhat, but her stomach still didn't feel right. 11. 12. Ciel tightened up inside. It was time to get down to business. The clouds and fog were thinning out, and she could just barely make out the earth below. It was a large field, from what she could see. Good landing spot-no mountains, rocks, or anything as far as Ciel could tell. She bit her lip, and gulped again. The dragon let out a mighty roar, yet again. It was closer now. Probably within 50 feet. Ciel didn't look back-she knew better. That would make her loose focus. She continued to hurtle through the air, her body heading towards the earth at a gradual angle. 13. 14. The earth was getting closer. Ciel could now make out a little more detail. There were a few boulders in the valley. She would have to watch out for those as she landed. Right now, however, she had to keep the dragon fixed on her. Nothing else mattered. NOTHING. She took a deep breath as the dragon roared yet again. Ciel's eye twitched involuntarily. That cry had been one of rage. Pure, unadulterated rage. A chill went up Ciel's spine as she continued her hurtle through the sky. That must have meant the guys had deployed the nets. She prayed that she was right. The earth was coming dangerously close now. 15. 16. 


	3. Going Down

~*~Author's Note~*~ Dammit! I'm getting a little pissed off at my characters. They keep wanting these cool cliffhanger endings, and it's getting on my nerves. I'm tempted to kill them all.see how they like that. * Ciel smacks Narn, while Voler cracks his knuckles menacingly, Audace shakes his head sadly, and Trice just grins in the background* ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'll let you write the story! YEESH! See what I mean about them writing the story? These guys are a little more real than they may seem-I just wish they'd let ME try my hand at writing the story..GRRR. Anyways. Enough of my boring commentary.let's go see how everyone is doing.may I present, THE FINAL CHAPTER.  
  
Audace and Voler continued their descent through the sky. As Ciel had guessed, yes, the nets had been deployed. Voler and Audace grinned under their helmets, happy that they had netted it. The dragon was struggling-it wanted to catch Ciel more than anything. Fighting hard against the nets, it stopped focusing on Ciel, and began to focus on getting free. The gunner's job was done. With a quick, nearly fluid motion, their guns were back at their sides, and their hands were at their ripcords. With a tug, their parachutes were deployed, and they began to fall down to earth at a now softer pace, no longer concerned with the dragon, but with Ciel.  
  
In the meantime, it was time for Ciel to make a call. Either she pulled her cord now, or hit the ground, dying for sure. She was moving at far too fast a pace to do otherwise. But she had to be sure that the guys had netted it. If they hadn't, she was dead. It was an almost gruesome choice to make, but it was time. The do or die moment had arrived, quicker that Ciel had hoped.  
  
Voler and Audace were descending though the air, parachutes out. They watched for an explosion of white fabric, meaning Ciel had pulled her cord.  
  
"Come on Ciel, come on." Voler whispered to himself. "Pull the cord, girl- come on." Audace's thoughts were on Ciel as well. Both of them worried for her safety. They weren't supposed to get attached to the members of their crew-that was the first thing they were told as soon as they were assigned to a crew. But Ciel was different. She was friendly, bright, and intelligent. She didn't deserve to die-not now. But there was nothing that they could do now. It was all up to Ciel.  
  
Ciel bit her lip, as her adrenaline pumped even more. She had to choose. And with that thought, she did. She reached for her neck, into her jacket. She clasped her dogtags, and with a gulp, knew what she had to do. She was a soldier-she had to be willing to put her life on the line for her cause. Her mind was made up. She released her dogtags, and stretched out her arms. If her chest was open to the ground, she would die faster. A funny thought struck her just then. 20 seconds. She had beat the 17. She grinned, as the ground came within 50 feet. 40. 30. 20. 10. And with that, she was gone.  
  
Audace and Voler saw Ciel's body hurl through the sky towards the ground, and hit the earth with leathal force. They were left speechless. The dragon crash landed in the field, and was quickly taken care of by those on the ground. Voler and Audace landed quickly, and dashed towards Ciel's lifeless body. Voler turned her over, so her face was turned towards the sky. Her dogtags were out of her jacket-she had pulled them out. Audace gingerly removed the tags from her neck, and looked at them.  
  
"Ciel D'Arch 3099346"  
  
He turned the tags over, revealing an inscription on the back.  
  
"Teach me how to fly" 


End file.
